We were about 35 strong this morning at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Buena Park. As usual, its gracious rector, the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Voien, had designed a beautiful liturgy and seen to every detail. Music director Kathleen Bradley-Najarian, also as usual, offered a “music minute” before we started. She explained what the handbell choir would be up to and rehearsed verse three of the gradual hymn, “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God,” to be sung in Spanish. She wanted everyone to be ready instead of coming to unfamiliar words on page seven of the bulletin and not knowing what to do.
As such lovingly planned liturgy is supposed to do, the service opened up space for discerning the presence of our God in Christ that even the celebrant and preacher, my roles today, could enjoy. When you’re working during church, you don’t always feel as though you’ve been to church. This morning, for me, there was no question. Saying the eucharistic prayers has rarely felt so holy. Especially sublime were the offerings of Kathleen on piano, her son, composer Kristapor Allen Najarian, on violin, and vocalist E Janeane Dimpel (who told me about overlapping with my late mother, Jean, as a member of All Saints Episcopal Church Pasadena).
Like other small churches, St. Joseph’s is self-conscious about its size. They needn’t be. I told them about two parishes that four colleagues and I visited in late September in the Diocese of Taiwan. Both told us that if dizzying growth in membership continued, they and the bishop agreed they should establish a mission nearby rather than let their church get too big. When I asked what too big was, they said 70. More members than that, they said, and they’d lose the familial feel members crave. Taiwan is as prone to social isolation as any industrialized country, they said, and they want church members to continue to feel at home.
St. Joseph’s is hardly standing pat. They want a bigger family and are taking steps to make it happen. With partners Episcopal Communities & Services and National Community Renaissance, it’s building 65 units of affordable and permanent supportive housing on its property. Project superintendent Jaime Laguna gave me the Cook’s tour of the one- and two-bedroom units, including a row of neat one-story casitas. Applications are now coming in from prospective residents. At the reception after church, St. Joseph’s members told me that they hope their new neighbors will wander over for worship, study, food, or fellowship — whatever. They hope their new neighbors join their family.
When it opens in a few months, Orchard View Gardens will be the third affordable housing project up and running in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Working with the Rev. Michael S. Bell, ECS’s director of housing and business development, we’ve identified a dozen more likely prospects. The next to get underway, we hope, will be at Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church in Claremont, which received vital funding last week from the County of Los Angeles. We aim to do it on 25% of our mission and parish campuses and will be digging deep in the data campus-by-campus next year to make sure. Congregations with available real estate and shopping and other services nearby are the likeliest candidates.
For our worship this morning, 31-year-old Anthony Schmit, son of senior warden Patricia Bell, was my thoughtful chaplain. Patricia also served as crucifer, and both she and rector Cindy were in the bell choir, which required some processional choreography. The Holy Spirit came down and confirmed Chelsea, who found St. Joseph’s just recently and was impressed by The Episcopal Church’s stance on behalf to the dignity of all God’s people without regard to race or nation, orientation or identification. She was surrounded by her St. George’s Spiritual Sisters, including rector Cindy, who helped her prepare.
I mediated God’s blessing for a new pyx (a small vessel for carrying consecrated host) and several church members with health challenges and upcoming birthdays. I talked a little “Star Trek” with chaplain Anthony and compared notes with various highly engaged members about elder ministry, foster care ministry, and other issues. Lunch felt like the best-possible version of a Thanksgiving dinner with your family. I envy the residents of Orchard View Apartments.
